False licensing ring busted in Chile

Santiago, 18th July 2008

The authorities in Chile raided an office and store belonging to a small record label that had purchased allegedly counterfeit licenses to distribute music. The raids were the culmination of a two-year investigation, undertaken in conjunction with local industry anti-piracy groups IFPI Chile and Apdif Chile, which was developed based on evidence received from a major enforcement operation in Spain.

The raids led to the seizure of four computers with 53 burners, 8,000 pirate CDs and 15,000 inlay cards. The titles seized included albums by artists such as Eric Clapton, The Carpenters, Barry White, Ana Gabriel and Antonio Aguilar. In addition, the authorities found around 40 suspect licenses for products by well-known artists such as Vicente Fernandez and Marco Antonio Solis. The owner of the record label was arrested following the raid.

The Chilean prosecutor requested the arrest of one of the main targets of the Spanish investigation who provided the counterfeit licenses sold to the Chilean label. The case is ongoing with further arrests and seizures expected.

Emilio Garcia of IFPI Latin America says: “This case was the result of a coordinated team effort involving law enforcement agencies, two IFPI regional teams and three national group offices all focused on dismantling this international ring that had been operating with almost total impunity for years.”